The present invention relates to vehicle article carriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle article carrier having a cross bar that is capable of being supported from a pair of slats for adjustable movement along the slats, and where the slats are non-linear or are mounted in an slightly non-parallel arrangement on the outer body surface of a vehicle.
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications for supporting and securing articles of various sizes above an outer surface of a vehicle. Typically, vehicle article carriers include a pair of slats or side rails (i.e. support rails) that are secured to the outer body surface of the vehicle. Usually, the side rails are straight and extend parallel to each other. The side rails are typically secured along a major longitudinal length of the vehicle roof, rear deck lid, or other surface of a vehicle.
Usually, at least one cross bar is supported from the two slats or side rails. The cross bar is secured to each support rail by brackets that are rigidly fastened to each end of the cross bar. Each bracket is slidably secured to one of the support rails to allow for adjustable movement of the cross bar along the support rails.
Typically, a tap plate extends from each bracket and is disposed within an associated one of the support rails. The tap plate may be threadably engaged with a user actuable, rotatable locking knob or like element that allows the user to effectively lock each end of the cross bar at a desired position along its associated support rail. Thus, the cross bar can be securely positioned as needed to accommodate a variety of articles having many different shapes and dimensions.
Current vehicle article racks perform adequately for their intended purpose when both side rails are straight and parallel. However, due to the fixed length of the cross bar, many current vehicle article carrier systems are not suitable for use with support rails that are not spaced parallel to each other. For example, when a cross bar of fixed length is moved along support rails that are not parallel, the support brackets of the cross bar may jam between the support rails as the distance between the support rails decreases. Further, as the cross bar is moved in the direction of increasing distance between the support rails, the support brackets may also jam.
Also, current vehicle article carriers are not suitable for use with curved (i.e., bowed) side rails. Specifically, as the cross bar is moved along the curved rails, the cross bar and its associated brackets may become jammed within the side rails at the midpoints of the side rails where the spacing between the side rails is greatest.
One system dealing with this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,802, issued Aug. 28, 2001, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This system has proven effective for compensating for a degree of non-linearity in the support rails, or non-parallel spacing of the support rails of a vehicle article carrier system. Nevertheless, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle article carrier system that is more specifically intended to accommodate movement of a cross bar along bowed support rails, or along support rails that are non-parallel to one another to a very significant degree.
The present invention is directed to a vehicle article carrier having a cross bar support member that is capable of being moved along a pair of supporting rails that are curved (i.e., xe2x80x9cbowedxe2x80x9d) and/or not parallel to one another. The article carrier is generally comprised of at least two side rails that are adapted to be fixedly secured to an outer body surface of a vehicle, a cross bar, and at least two cross bar support assemblies. The cross bar support assemblies are comprised of a slider and a connecting member. The connecting member secures the cross bar to the slider and the slider is secured to an associated one of the support rails.
The cross bar is able to effectively extend and contract in overall length. This is achieved through the use of the connecting member at each end thereof. The connecting members allow end portions of the cross bar to slide into and out of each of the connecting members. For example, as the cross bar is moved to a point where the support rails are spaced closer together, the ends of the cross bar recede within the connecting members. However, as the cross bar is moved along the support rails, as the distance between the support rails is increasing, then the connecting members are able to move apart from one another to effectively lengthen the cross bar.
To even better allow the slider to slide along side rails that are curved, each connecting member is pivotably coupled to its associated slider. Each slider further includes a curved side rail contact portion. Thus, as each slider moves along side rails that are bowed outwardly relative to one another, the connecting members pivot and the cross bar effectively lengthens from the connecting members to follow the curve. As the slider moves along side rails that are bowed inwardly to one another, the connecting members pivot and the cross bar outer ends recede within the connecting members to effectively shorten the cross bar and allow the sliders to follow the curvature of the support rails. The curved support rail contact portion allows the slider to easily follow curved support rails without becoming jammed within the support rails.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating at least one preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.